Barbara Kingsolver is an author and freelance writer. She has written numerous novels, including The Poisonwood Bible (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Orange Prize, and winner of the national book award of South Africa), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (winner of the James Beard award), and The Lacuna (winner of the Orange Prize). She has contributed to more than 50 literary anthologies, and has had reviews and articles published in major newspapers and magazines. Kingsolver was named one the most important writers of the 20th Century by Writers Digest, received the National Humanities Medal in 2000, and was awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2011. She established the PEN / Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.
Susanna Short is a baker, caterer and author of Bundt Cake Bliss.
Pierre Laszlo is professor emeritus of chemistry at University of Liege and the Ecole Polytechnique. He is the author of several books, including Salt: Grain of Life and Citrus: A History.
Russ Parsons was the food editor and columnist of the Los Angeles Times for more than 25 years. He is the author of the cookbooks How to Read a French Fry and How to Pick a Peach. He is a member of the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and has won awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Association of Food Journalists and the James Beard Foundation.
Takashi Yagihashi is a chef, restaurateur and author. He was named Best Chef: Midwest in 2003 by the James Beard Foundation and one of America's 10 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine. He is the co-author of Takashi's Noodles.
Greg Patent is a baker, author, radio host and food writer. He has written eight cookbooks, including Baking in America, which won the 2003 James Beard award, a World Gourmand Cookbook Award for the Best Baking Book in the English Language, and was an IACP cookbook award finalist. He is co-host of "The Food Guys" on Montana Public radio, writes two monthly columns for the Missoulian and blogs at thebakingwizard.com.
Bill Waddington is the founder and president of specialty shop TeaSource in St. Paul. He has served on the board of directors of the American Premium Tea Institute and was chairman of the 2004 Specialty Tea Institute Symposium.
Judith Sutton is a cookbook editor and consultant, food writer and recipe tester. She is the author of cookbooks such as Champagne & Caviar & Other Delicacies and Sweet Gratitude. Her writing has appeared in Chocolatier, Food & Wine, Fine Cooking, Gourmet and Library Journal, where she writes a monthly cookbook column.
Mario Batali is a chef, restaurateur, author and television personality. He has restaurants around the world, including Babbo, which was honored as "Best New Restaurant of 1998" by the James Beard Foundation. Batali has written nine cookbooks, hosted televison shows for the Food Network, and starred in PBS' series "Spain...On the Road Again" and in ABC's talk show "The Chew." The James Beard Foundation named him "Best Chef: New York City" in 2001 and "Outstanding Chef of the Year" in 2005. He is the founder of the Mario Batali Foundation.
Freelance writer and author Jean Anderson previously served as editor at publications such as The Ladies' Home Journal; Venture, the Traveler's World; Family Circle and Diversion; and as chief cookbook consultant to Reader's Digest Books. She is the author of more than 20 cookbooks, several of which have received Tastemaker, IACP and James Beard awards. She was named Editor of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 1992 and inducted into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1999. She has written food columns for The Los Angeles Times and Newsday, and her writing has appeared in Bon Appetit, Cottage Living, Family Circle, Food & Wine, More and The New York Times. She is a founding member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and NY Women’s Culinary Alliance.